Florida, local shops see spike in gun sales, permits

Firearms sales are surging in the wake of the Colorado movie massacre as buyers express fears about their safety and lawmakers using the shooting to seek new gun restrictions.

In Colorado, gun sales jumped in the three days that followed Friday's shooting that killed 12 and injured 58 in a movie theater in Aurora, near Denver. The state approved background checks for 2,887 people who wanted to purchase a gun — 25 percent more than the average Friday to Sunday period in 2012 and 43 percent more than the same interval the week before.

In Florida, where 1.13 million people have gun licenses, including law enforcement officers, there were 2,386 background checks recorded Friday, up 14 percent from the week before. The number of concealed carry permits in Florida tops the nation at roughly 950,000, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services' Division of Licensing.

"Florida has a strong tradition in upholding Second Amendment rights," said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who operates the gun permit program. " ... The track record of administering the program ... has been one that is thorough and efficient and there continues to be an extraordinarily small number of concealed weapons license holders who break the law."

He said his office is issuing between 10,000 and 15,000 permits monthly and he expects to hit 1 million permits in six to eight weeks.

Pennsylvania comes in second nationally, with about 786,000, then Georgia, with roughly 600,000, and Texas at 524,000, according to LegallyArmed.com.

During the past decade, FBI statistics show June and July have consistently been the slowest months for gun sales.

However, Jay Wallace, who owns Adventure Outdoors in Smyrna, Ga., saw sales on Saturday shoot up 300 percent from the same day a year ago, making it one of the best Saturdays his business has ever had. He said customers are often afraid when there's a gun-related tragedy, often fearing lawmakers might try to push through an anti-gun agenda.

"We shouldn't let one sick individual make us forget and lose sight of freedoms in this country," Wallace said.

Some Democratic lawmakers in Congress cited the shooting as evidence of the need for tougher gun control laws, particularly a ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines. However, political leaders in Washington have shown no sign of bringing up measures any time soon and Congress hasn't passed strict legislation in more than a decade.

Gun sales often fluctuate based on shootings that make headlines, especially if people think the passage of stricter gun laws is imminent. Sales spiked after the election of President Barack Obama, when gun enthusiasts feared the Democrat might restrict gun rights.

Authorities have said 24-year-old James Holmes, who is charged in the Colorado shooting, methodically stockpiled weapons and explosives at work and home in recent months. Authorities said he purchased thousands of rounds of ammunition and a shotgun, a semi-automatic rifle and two Glock pistols.

Among them were two purchased at Bass Pro Shops, a top retailer nationally with 58 stores, including one in Fort Myers. Although the retailer's sales are increasing, Bass Pro Shops spokesman Larry Whiteley said it had nothing to do with the shooting.

"All stores have been up," Whiteley said. "We're getting ready to go into the fall hunting season. They're up every year at this time."

In Naples, some gun shop owners saw a spike in purchases, as they did after the Feb. 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed 17-year-old killed by a neighborhood watch member in Sanford. That shooting also prompted fears of politicians tightening gun control laws during the presidential election year.

"We've definitely seen an increase," said Wayne Bergquist, who owns S.W. Florida Shooting Center and Wayne Bergquist Guns and Gunsmithing in North Naples. "It just kind of wakes people up. They've been procrastinating and now they're buying."

"They've made comments about it," he said of customers citing Friday's shooting. "Naturally, everybody is in shock over it. … Most of us are in this for sport or a hobby, so you always hate to see people rush out and buy because of a shooting like this."

At Centennial Arms in East Naples, owner Eric Sandberg said summer has been busy and sales have remained level.

"We had an uptick yesterday, but nothing crazy," Sandberg said. "I don't see a lot of people scurrying to buy guns because of the shooting."

Instead, he attributed any increase at his shop to concern over the United Nations Arms Trade Treaty. "A lot of people are afraid of the U.N. gun ban," he said.

At Smokin Barrels Gunshop in North Naples, gunsmith and salesman Dustin Vickers said more customers came in and talked about the shooting, but that didn't prompt an increase in sales.

"People are more concerned about being safe in their homes and protecting themselves," Vickers said.

In recent years, Florida has seen an increased demand for gun permits, prompting the agriculture commissioner to hire more workers and expand the state's Fast Track system, which allows gun owners to renew gun permits faster.

Putnam, who doesn't think Florida's laws are too lax, called the checking process "thorough and efficient" and cited the "extraordinarily small number" of gun-wielding lawbreakers and revocations. About 6,200 Florida gun permits have been revoked out of 2.2 million issued since 1987, with 168 permits revoked due to gun-related crimes.

Staff writer Aisling Swift, The Associated Press and The News Service of Florida contributed to this report